The average freelancer pays $150-300/mo for tools they would buy once if they could. Now they can.
FreshBooks: $15/mo. HubSpot CRM: free but they own your data. Toggl: $9/user/mo. Typeform: $25/mo. Ghost: $25/mo. That is $74/mo minimum for basic business tools — and most of them charge per seat or per usage.
Or $29/mo for all of them, self-hosted, with Stockyard Complete.
Invoice generator. Replaces FreshBooks ($15/mo). Free: 5 invoices/mo. Pro: $0.99/mo.
Contact and CRM manager. Replaces HubSpot CRM (Free (your data leaves)). Free: 100 contacts. Pro: $0.99/mo.
Time tracker. Replaces Toggl ($9/user/mo). Free: 3 projects. Pro: $0.99/mo.
| Tool | Replaces | SaaS Price | Stockyard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billfold | FreshBooks | $15/mo | $0.99/mo |
| Dossier | HubSpot CRM | Free (your data leaves) | $0.99/mo |
| Sundial | Toggl | $9/user/mo | $0.99/mo |
| Post | Ghost Pro | $25/mo | $0.99/mo |
| Surveyor | Typeform | $25/mo | $0.99/mo |
| Total | $74/mo | $29/mo (Complete) |
Freelancers and solo consultants need invoicing, time tracking, project management, and client communication — but not at SaaS prices. FreshBooks at $15 per month, Toggl at $10 per month, and Trello at $5 per month add up to $30 per month for three tools. Stockyard's Billfold (invoicing), Sundial (time tracking), and Prairie (kanban boards) cover the same workflows at $0.99 per month each, running on the same server or laptop you already use for development.
The privacy advantage matters more for freelancers than most realize. When you track client hours in Toggl, Toggl knows which clients you work for, how many hours you bill, and your effective hourly rate. When you invoice through FreshBooks, FreshBooks sees your revenue. Self-hosted tools keep that business intelligence private. Your client list, your rates, and your financial data stay on your hardware — which also simplifies the data handling section of client contracts.
Or start free — every tool has a free tier.